Red Devils supporters speculated about David de Gea’s meaning after he posted an emoji on X in response to Manchester United’s decision to fire Erik ten Hag in October 2024. Apparently in reaction to the news, the former United goalie used the pinched fingers emoji on social media, which is frequently connected to Italy, where the 34-year-old currently plays for Fiorentina.
After two and a half years in command, Ten Hag was fired, and the team’s 2-1 loss against West Ham United turned out to be his last match as manager. Prior to the club announcing Ruben Amorim’s arrival, Ruud van Nistelrooy would subsequently fill in temporarily.
Though it has since been reported that De Gea blamed Ten Hag and United’s former football director, John Murtough, for the Dutchman’s departure, De Gea’s reaction to the shocking news seemed to support the decision to let him go. As a result, he spent the entire 2023–2024 season as a free agent before looking for a new home in Italy.
In light of that, his strategically placed emoji, which was shared shortly after Ten Hag’s dismissal was announced, appeared to convey a powerful statement as it amassed over a million views in less than an hour and has since surpassed 17.5 million views:
🤌🏼
— David de Gea (@D_DeGea) October 28, 2024
How David de Gea is Performing at Fiorentina
The Spaniard is going through a career revival in Italy
De Gea returned to professional football this season, agreeing to a one-year contract with Fiorentina till June 2025. De Gea was replaced by Andre Onana in the summer of 2023. At the end of the 2022–2023 season, United chose not to extend the Spaniard’s contract, and Ten Hag quickly replaced him with the Cameroonian, whom he knew from his time at Ajax.
During Ten Hag’s first season as manager, the 34-year-old was United’s first-choice custodian. In his final season at Manchester, he made 58 appearances in all competitions while recording 25 clean sheets.
After missing the first three games of the season, he has subsequently made his way into Fiorentina’s starting lineup. He has started the following six Serie A games, giving up six goals and recording two shutouts. With the business end in reach, the veteran goalie shows no signs of slowing down. This outstanding run of form has persisted until the latter stages of the campaign.
The United misfit has already played 26 games for La Viola in the 2024–25 season, giving up just 29 goals while maintaining eight clean sheets. While Andre Onana is still making howlers in front of the Stretford End, he appears to be a man reborn and eager to take on the challenge of reliving his success from his earlier years at Old Trafford.
